Hello my name is Urie Bronfenbrenner, but my colleagues call me Bronbren. I was born in Moscow Russia in 1917. At the age of six my family and I moved to the United States and resided in Pennsylvania and then moved to New York. I first attended college in Ithaca, NY at Cornell University where I received my bachelors degree in Psychology and Music. Psychology and education have always been my passion from an early age. After graduating with my bachelors degree I attended the prestigious Harvard University and received my Masters of Education in 1940. My thirst for knowledge was still not quite quenched; I knew that wanted to get a Ph. D. so I spent the last of my college years at the University of Michigan where I received my doctorate degree.
I came to discover that the love of knowledge was not enough for me. I needed to apply what I had learned to better the world. I made the decision to enlist in the Army as a psychologist. I served in World War II and worked with many fine young men who I will never forget. This experience helped me develop a lot of my ideas and opinions about the human mind. My most famous theory is the Ecological Systems Theory which states that a child's development is based on many factors that can be broken down into four groups: Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem and Macrosystem. This system ranges an individual to a culture as a whole. Each added layer has a ripple effect on a child's development. These layers include peers, family, schools, neighborhoods, and nations as a whole. To better illustrate here is a diagram:
I retired from the Army and became a professor at later founded the University of Michigan where I worked for many years afterwards. At that point I had settled down with the love of my life Liese Price and together we had six children. However I still thought back to the war veterans I had worked with, and still longed to make an impact on them. In 1960 I founded the V.A. Clinical Psychology Training Program in Washington, D.C. This was very rewarding experience because this facility will continue my progress in Psychology even after my lifetime. Another pivotal accomplishment of mine is working with the United States government to research how we can better society and help impoverished children. We developed a program in 1965 called "Head Start" which was the first of many Educational reforms created by the federal government. Throughout my lifetime I have published 300 research papers and written 14 books. I died of diabetes complications in 2005, but my theories in human development and education will live on distinguish the characteristics and connections of individuals and society.
An example of a factor that influences the microsystem is the family. Since the divorce rate is 50% many families in current times are made up of blended families, which can be a combination of step-siblings and parents as well as extended family. Other kinds of blended families include children of gay parents, other children who are adopted, and children in foster care.
Another factor that influences the microsystem is one's relationship with friends. Peer groups help establish an individual based on the peer rules for a given group. For example: What kind of behavior is accepted of me by my friends? What kind of clothing style is accepted? How should I wear my hair to fit in? Another example is popularity v.s. rejection which can either provide or inhibit the support a child receives.
Please check out the book I wrote on the differences between children in Russia (the country of my birth) and the United States (my current residence) It very much ties in with Educational Psychology because it compares and contrasts the behavior of children in two different macrosyste
ms, both geographically and culturally. You can get it on Amazon and it is cheap! Buy Bronfenbrenners Book
Please also check out my final research paper on the theory that I'm most known for. It has been my life's work so it would really mean a lot to those who read it. Ecological Systems Theory
What truly inspired my work?
"Bronfenbrenner was dissatisfied with what he saw as fragmented approaches to the study of human development, each with its own level of analysis (child, family, society, economics, culture, etc.), and was fond of saying that “Much of contemporary developmental psychology is the science of the strange behavior of children in strange situations with strange adults for the briefest possible periods of time” (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, p. 513).
*Key Point for Teachers* "Students define caring in two ways: Academic Caring- setting high, but reasonable expectations and helping students reach those goals. The second: Personal Caring- being patient, respectful, humorous, willing to listen and interested in students issues and personal problems."pg 95
Presentation Over View:
I drew the four layers of the bio-ecological model on the white board for the class and labeled each layer. Like so:
Volunteers in the classroom raised their hand and together we filled in each level of the chart with aspects of development that fit into each. For example we put family and friends in the play environment (microsystem) and we put schools, church, and neighbors in the organizational framework (mesosystem). (see figure 3.1 pg. 76)
As we assigned each piece to the puzzle we discussed as a class the interrelation of each factor and how it affects development. For example if a child has a bad relationship with their parents this is going to impact their development negatively. If this relationship is broken the child will look to other adults/peers as role models, with no guarantee that this substitute role model is positive. Family structure including parenting styles, family make up and cultural influences all make a difference in the development of a child. (see pg. 78) The relationship between the culture and the family is great example of the interrelation between the macrosystem and microsystem.
Another factor that is central to the students development is social interactions with friends. When discussing peer culture it is important to ask "Is this child accepted by friends?" "How close are their friendships?" "Do they have many friends or a few?" The answers to these questions can distinguish children into one/or more of the four categories throughout childhood: Popular Children, Rejected Children, Controversial Children, Neglected Children. (see table 3.2 pg. 83)
An important implication for teachers is personal and academic caring. Students must be cared for before they care about school. For example a student might come from a family divorce and have severed emotional bonds from certain family members. Or perhaps a student doesn't have many friends in the classroom and is in need of care and support. It is our job as teachers to be that extra cushion of support to every child, not just by caring about grades but by caring about the children themselves.
On page 84 the book states "Good teachers have positive interpersonal relationships- they care about their students. Secondly, good teachers keep the classroom organized and maintain authority without being rigid or mean. Finally good teachers are good motivators- they can make learning fun by being creative and innovative so students learn something."(pg. 84) These are three important qualities that we all must remember to instill in our future classrooms. Developing a positive relationship with a child will create a ripple of positive effects throughout their individual bio-ecological system and most importantly have a positive impact on their development.
Hello my name is Urie Bronfenbrenner, but my colleagues call me Bronbren. I was born in Moscow Russia in 1917. At the age of six my family and I moved to the United States and resided in Pennsylvania and then moved to New York. I first attended college in Ithaca, NY at Cornell University where I received my bachelors degree in Psychology and Music. Psychology and education have always been my passion from an early age. After graduating with my bachelors degree I attended the prestigious Harvard University and received my Masters of Education in 1940. My thirst for knowledge was still not quite quenched; I knew that wanted to get a Ph. D. so I spent the last of my college years at the University of Michigan where I received my doctorate degree.
I came to discover that the love of knowledge was not enough for me. I needed to apply what I had learned to better the world. I made the decision to enlist in the Army as a psychologist. I served in World War II and worked with many fine young men who I will never forget. This experience helped me develop a lot of my ideas and opinions about the human mind. My most famous theory is the Ecological Systems Theory which states that a child's development is based on many factors that can be broken down into four groups: Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem and Macrosystem. This system ranges an individual to a culture as a whole. Each added layer has a ripple effect on a child's development. These layers include peers, family, schools, neighborhoods, and nations as a whole. To better illustrate here is a diagram:
I retired from the Army and became a professor at later founded the University of Michigan where I worked for many years afterwards. At that point I had settled down with the love of my life Liese Price and together we had six children. However I still thought back to the war veterans I had worked with, and still longed to make an impact on them. In 1960 I founded the V.A. Clinical Psychology Training Program in Washington, D.C. This was very rewarding experience because this facility will continue my progress in Psychology even after my lifetime. Another pivotal accomplishment of mine is working with the United States government to research how we can better society and help impoverished children. We developed a program in 1965 called "Head Start" which was the first of many Educational reforms created by the federal government. Throughout my lifetime I have published 300 research papers and written 14 books. I died of diabetes complications in 2005, but my theories in human development and education will live on distinguish the characteristics and connections of individuals and society.
An example of a factor that influences the microsystem is the family. Since the divorce rate is 50% many families in current times are made up of blended families, which can be a combination of step-siblings and parents as well as extended family. Other kinds of blended families include children of gay parents, other children who are adopted, and children in foster care.
Another factor that influences the microsystem is one's relationship with friends. Peer groups help establish an individual based on the peer rules for a given group. For example: What kind of behavior is accepted of me by my friends? What kind of clothing style is accepted? How should I wear my hair to fit in? Another example is popularity v.s. rejection which can either provide or inhibit the support a child receives.
Please check out the book I wrote on the differences between children in Russia (the country of my birth) and the United States (my current residence) It very much ties in with Educational Psychology because it compares and contrasts the behavior of children in two different macrosyste
ms, both geographically and culturally. You can get it on Amazon and it is cheap! Buy Bronfenbrenners Book
Please also check out my final research paper on the theory that I'm most known for. It has been my life's work so it would really mean a lot to those who read it. Ecological Systems Theory
What truly inspired my work?
"Bronfenbrenner was dissatisfied with what he saw as fragmented approaches to the study of human development, each with its own level of analysis (child, family, society, economics, culture, etc.), and was fond of saying that “Much of contemporary developmental psychology is the science of the strange behavior of children in strange situations with strange adults for the briefest possible periods of time” (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, p. 513).
*Key Point for Teachers*
"Students define caring in two ways: Academic Caring- setting high, but reasonable expectations and helping students reach those goals. The second: Personal Caring- being patient, respectful, humorous, willing to listen and interested in students issues and personal problems." pg 95
For more information on my Ecological Systems Model click:
PowerPoint
Growth and Development
Ecological Model Break Down
Presentation Over View:
I drew the four layers of the bio-ecological model on the white board for the class and labeled each layer. Like so:
Volunteers in the classroom raised their hand and together we filled in each level of the chart with aspects of development that fit into each. For example we put family and friends in the play environment (microsystem) and we put schools, church, and neighbors in the organizational framework (mesosystem). (see figure 3.1 pg. 76)
As we assigned each piece to the puzzle we discussed as a class the interrelation of each factor and how it affects development. For example if a child has a bad relationship with their parents this is going to impact their development negatively. If this relationship is broken the child will look to other adults/peers as role models, with no guarantee that this substitute role model is positive. Family structure including parenting styles, family make up and cultural influences all make a difference in the development of a child. (see pg. 78) The relationship between the culture and the family is great example of the interrelation between the macrosystem and microsystem.
Another factor that is central to the students development is social interactions with friends. When discussing peer culture it is important to ask "Is this child accepted by friends?" "How close are their friendships?" "Do they have many friends or a few?" The answers to these questions can distinguish children into one/or more of the four categories throughout childhood: Popular Children, Rejected Children, Controversial Children, Neglected Children. (see table 3.2 pg. 83)
An important implication for teachers is personal and academic caring. Students must be cared for before they care about school. For example a student might come from a family divorce and have severed emotional bonds from certain family members. Or perhaps a student doesn't have many friends in the classroom and is in need of care and support. It is our job as teachers to be that extra cushion of support to every child, not just by caring about grades but by caring about the children themselves.
On page 84 the book states "Good teachers have positive interpersonal relationships- they care about their students. Secondly, good teachers keep the classroom organized and maintain authority without being rigid or mean. Finally good teachers are good motivators- they can make learning fun by being creative and innovative so students learn something."(pg. 84) These are three important qualities that we all must remember to instill in our future classrooms. Developing a positive relationship with a child will create a ripple of positive effects throughout their individual bio-ecological system and most importantly have a positive impact on their development.